It’s a season of change in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) and, for the first time, every game is going to mean something towards winning it all.
The spring circuit announced during the offseason that it was expanding to nine teams with the introduction of the University Baseball Club out of the University of British Columbia.
That move coincided with making the regular season one week longer, and the CCBC World Series would involve only the top six regular season teams instead of every squad.
Heading into the 2026 season, it’s the Okanagan College Coyotes coming in as the defending champions after knocking off the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack at Spitz Stadium im Lethbridge.
The perennial powerhouse, who last went back-to-back in 2021-2022, will have their hands full with several teams knocking on the door all last season.
Just 3.5 games separated first-place University of Fraser Valley from fourth-place TRU, while another 3.5 games were the difference between fifth and eighth.
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Many around the league say the margin of victory is getting smaller and smaller as the competition gets tighter each season.
Will that continue in 2026? Only time will tell. In the meantime, let’s take a look at what Alberta’s three teams will be bringing to the field this spring.
PRAIRIE BASEBALL ACADEMY DAWGS
Always in contention for a CCBC championship, Prairie Baseball Academy rode a strong offensive performance to an 18-13 record last season and third place in the standings.
They also came incredibly close to punching their ticket to the CCBC championship game after losing 7-6 to Okanagan College in the semi-final.
Head coach Todd Hubka has some key returning players including Tetsu Nishida, Nate Garth, Will Turner and Declan O’Kane, who will help supplement what the team believes is one of its best pitching staffs in a while.
He believes those sophomores will also provide some confidence for his young pitching staff to go out and throw strikes without worrying about balls in play.
“I think we came into every year with an expectation of trying to win our last game of the year,” Hubka said. “I think that if we play to our ability this year and keep getting better every day, I think we have a really good chance to play for a championship.”
He says staying healthy will also be a focus this season, as the Dawgs have run into injury troubles the last couple of years, adding they have spent a lot of time during the offseason getting the training right for the campaign.
EDMONTON COLLEGIATE HAWKS
Despite a 12-20 record in 2025, the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks enter the new season as the #4-ranked team according to the CCBC Coaches Poll.
A big reason is a large group of returning veterans, especially at the plate, who will be looking to provide a relatively new group of pitchers with run support.
The Hawks were in tough during last year’s championship weekend, falling to the eventual champions from Okanagan College then dropping a 6-3 decision to PBA.
Head coach Jake Lanferman says his team worked really hard in the offseason to get stronger and more gritty to get a few more victories and capture their first CCBC championship.
“We’re expecting to see new faces make a strong impact for our group, especially in our pitching staff as we graduated some prominent staples in our rotation,” he said. “Positionally, we have a lot of depth and power.”
They will be led offensively by Aldo Rojas and Koby Smith, while Lucas Webber-Kitching is expected to become the workhorse on the mound after the graduations of Matthew Ridsdale, Nick Backstrom and Reece Devlin.
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY DINOS
2025 wasn’t the greatest of seasons for the University of Calgary Dinos as they slipped to the bottom of the CCBC standings with an 11-21 record.
A few untimely injuries and a younger-than-usual roster made for some bumps along the road, but they did come back during championship weekend with a 1-2 record, losing to UFV and beating Victoria before falling to the Cascades in the double-elimination tournament.
Head coach Cam Williams says all of those experiences will serve them well heading into this spring.
“I expect us to compete in every single ball game,” he said. “Our depth is one of our biggest strengths and I’m excited to see us take a step forward to take a run at our second CCWS championship.”
Williams says the team defense has been solid in the fall and preseason, while their hitting has been very resilient, led by first-team all-star first baseman Brett Potter.
On the mound, the team will be looking to reigning CCBC Pitcher of the Year Ethan Webster to be an anchor, who Williams says had his best offseason yet.
The Canadian College Baseball Conference season begins March 20 with all opening weekend series to start in BC. The Hawks’ home-opener is set for April 4 while the Dawgs and Dinos welcome teams to their cities on April 11. The league championship weekend is set for May 21-24 in Lethbridge.
